


New Demons

by allweneedofhell



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, Smut, dark josie comes into play later ;), hope loves dark josie but doesn't want to admit it, no landon bye landon, re imagining of season 2, they are 18 for the sake of this story, with more hosie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:54:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23567161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allweneedofhell/pseuds/allweneedofhell
Summary: Hope knew two things when she saw Landon kiss Josie on that late summer night.She wasn’t jealous of Josie, she was jealous of Landon, for being able to kiss those pouty lips.She wasn’t in love with Landon anymore.orthe one where hope likes dark josie more than she should.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 70
Kudos: 471





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ok so...this is my first Hosie fic. 
> 
> be gentle with me, i know this plot (or a re-imagining of season 2) has been done a lot, but this is my first stab at writing Hosie. 
> 
> essentially landon leaves for good at 2x7....leaving the two alone with their gay thoughts. like it should be...
> 
> I definitely have some AU ideas for down the line.

Hope knew two things when she saw Landon kiss Josie on that late summer night. 

She wasn’t jealous of Josie, she was jealous of Landon, for being able to kiss those pouty lips.

She wasn’t in love with Landon anymore. 

She didn’t know what shifted (maybe her crush on Josie had been buried so deep down all those years that it took everyone forgetting who she was to resurface), but she knew she had to have her. Her eyes flashed a dangerous shade of yellow as she lurked beyond the trees, wanting to pounce on Landon and make Josie her own. But that would make her seem like a crazy person-after all, Hope was a stranger in both their eyes. 

She swallowed down that anger, and by the time she got to the bus stop, completely pushed her feelings for Josie to the back of her mind, as she angrily argued with the holographic, slightly more funny, Landon. She told him she loved him and even acted mad when she mentioned him and Josie. 

Hope wanted more than anything to leave town-everyone would be safer with her gone. But everytime she got the urge, her feet suddenly felt like bricks and she was immobilized. Josie’s face flashed in her mind as clear as day, and she was stuck. Stuck in this purgatory of watching the girl she was infatuated with fall for her boyfriend (or was it her ex-boyfriend?). Hope never really knew what to call him, considering jumping into Malivore and being erased from everyone’s memories didn’t really count as a break up.

The football game was hard enough-Josie had always looked good in yellow. But the way she looked at Hope-with fire in her eyes, not with the softness that normally came with Josie when she asked if her and Landon were having another “milkshake moment” -ignited something deep inside Hope. She gritted her teeth and growled softly, inaudible to human ears, trying to contain the golden flames erupting behind her eyes. She tried to blame it on her competitive nature, but she knew deep down it was all because of Josie. 

When they touched for the first time, doing a locator spell to try to find the demon-possessed Landon, Hope could have sworn she saw a flash of something in Josie’s eyes. Like she recognized her touch-some bizarre sense of deja vu. It comforted her in some way, that even though Josie didn’t recognize her, maybe her skin still recognized Hope’s warm touch. 

She suppressed her feelings for weeks. When everyone remembered who she was again, the one and only Hope Mikaelson, the badass tribrid, Josie acted shy around her, like being around Hope would break her. When she came into her room after the incident with Clarke, Josie looked so drained that it took everything to resist the urge to wrap Josie in her arms and never let go. 

“I miss you.” Hope pleaded, her vision becoming blurry. She wanted her life back so badly, but she would stay away if her presence only upset the girl she wanted to protect. Josie opened her mouth as if she was going to reply, to tell Hope that she had missed her too, and then the scribbling started. 

Landon was leaving town. Hope almost wanted to jump for joy-with Landon out of the picture, she would have Josie all to herself- but she stopped herself for Josie’s sake. Surprisingly, she wasn’t as upset as Hope thought she would be, and pulled Hope in for a hug. A sense of relief washed over Hope-at least she had her friend back. 

When they pulled apart, Hope couldn’t help but suggest a Netflix and chill session. Josie raised her eyebrow at the shorter girl, and Hope blushed, knowing just how sexualized that suggestion had become. 

“No like...I actually want to watch some crappy rom-com and veg out.” Hope corrected herself quickly. “We’ve had such a shitty couple of weeks, we deserve a break.” 

“Can I join?” Lizzie appeared at the doorway with a proud smile on her face, obviously elated that her twin and Hope had finally made up. 

“Of course.” Josie said, scooching over on her bed and patting the spot next to her. Hope had to admit-she was little disappointed-alone time with Josie is what she was craving right now. But nevertheless, she was just happy to have the brunette back in her life. 

“I’ll get snacks!” Hope offered, springing up from the mattress to make room for Lizzie. She knew both the twins favorite junk food-cheetos for Josie and salt and vinegar chips for Lizzie. Probably the messiest (and smelliest) of chips, but oh well. She grabbed their favorites as well as a bag of pretzels for herself, and loaded her arms up with soda and headed back to the twins’ room. 

“Yay! My FAVE!” Lizzie exclaimed, snatching the bag greedily from Hope’s hands. The bed was already crowded with both of the twins spread out-those long legs didn’t leave much room, even for Hope’s small frame. 

“I can just watch from Lizzie’s bed if-”

“No, no.” Josie insisted, motioning Hope towards her. “C’mere” She spread her legs a bit, allowing some space for Hope to come and-oh.

Cuddle between Josie’s impossibly smooth thighs. 

Hope flashed her best smile and got comfortable, pushing her back into Josie’s front and sighing when she felt the taller girl take in a sharp breath as soon as they touched. 

_ Good to know I still have that effect on her.  _

She reached back to hand Josie her cheetos. “You remembered.” Josie said softly, looking down at Hope fondly. 

“I’ve never forgotten a thing you’ve told me.” 

Josie blushed deeply before reaching down and pressing play on her laptop. They settled on some cheesy movie that Hope couldn’t remember the name of. After all, being this close to Josie was very distracting, even if she was getting Cheeto dust everywhere. 

“Not on my sweater, Saltzman.” Hope teased, throwing a playful glance up at Josie. “Am I just a napkin to you or something?”   
  


“No.” And before Hope knew it, Josie was sucking her fingers into her mouth, cleaning them off one by one all while starring Hope down. Now, she had never thought Cheetos could be sexy, but somehow, Josie had pulled it off. 

They fell asleep in the same bed that night, with Josie’s long arms wrapped around Hope-and the smaller girl couldn’t care less if she got Cheeto dust all over her. 

...

Christmas (or weird, fake Krampus induced Christmas in October) felt very strange to Hope. Not only was everyone losing their minds over some snow, but even Josie and Alaric were lost in the holiday spirit and not realizing it for what it was-another monster coming their way. 

She watched from the corner of the common room, sulking, as the students wrote their Christmas wishes on a ribbon and cast them into the fire. A dumb tradition in Hope’s eyes, but the way Josie’s face lit up when she caught Hope staring from across the room made everyone’s ridiculousness  _ somewhat  _ worth it. 

“So, what did ya wish for?” Hope teased as Josie walked her way, looking adorable in a white, fuzzy sweater.

“If I tell you, it won’t come true.” Josie teased, winking at Hope as she walked past her. 

“That’s stupid!” 

“Don’t be such a scrooge!” Josie yelled back, disappearing down the hall. 

Later, when Santa (who knew he was actually real?) beat the Krampus by ripping out his small, vile heart, Hope sat on the steps to the entrance, rubbing her temples, because holy fuck, this monster shit was getting exhausting. She knew she would never have a normal life, being a tribrid and all, but a monster every week? She needed an actual break, a vacation, a-

Josie. 

Josie was suddenly besides her, almost as if she appeared out of thin air. Hope should have heard her coming, but was so consumed by her own thoughts, the entire world had been drowned out. 

“Hey.” Josie said softly, concentrating on her hands and refusing to look at Hope.

“Hey. You snuck on me there. Pretty hard to do considering my super hearing.” Hope leaned into Josie, softly knocking her with her shoulder. 

“Hm.” Josie hummed, not really paying attention to what Hope was saying. She continued to stare at her hands, which were now fidgeting with a loose thread on her sweater. 

“Josie, what’s-”

“You asked what I wished for earlier.” The taller girl interrupted, finally focusing her eyes on Hope. They sparkled in the Christmas lights, and Hope felt herself enamored by how fucking pretty the girl in front of her was.

“Mm, yup. But you couldn’t tell me, remember? Because then it wouldn’t come-”

“Look up.”

Hope looked at Josie questioningly, before craning her neck to see what was above them.

Mistletoe. 

When she looked back at Josie, her eyes were locked on Hope’s lips, but she didn’t move a muscle. It was as if she was frozen in place. Hope couldn’t take it any longer. She placed her hand on the back of Josie’s neck, pulling her closer, until she could feel the taller girl’s breath on her face. She smelled like peppermint, the one thing Hope actually did love about the holidays. A smile broken across her face before she leaned in, brushing her lips against Josie’s and-

“You would not believe what Sebastian and I just did!” Lizzie yelled from around the corner. Once again, Hope  _ should  _ have heard her coming, but being consumed in everything that was Josie Saltzman, made using any of her super senses nearly impossible. Josie reluctantly pulled back from Hope, with an apologetic look in her eyes, before engaging with Lizzie.

But holy shit, Josie’s Christmas wish was for her. 

Maybe she could stop being a scrooge this year. 


	2. Chapter 2

The following week, the students of the Salvatore School were met with quite the weird sight-Hope Mikaelson bouncing down the hallways, two protein shakes in tow, smiling and waving at her fellow classmates. Normally, the girl was constantly sullen, only talking to her classmates when absolutely necessary. 

But then Josie happened. 

Josie had brought out the good side in Hope, the one that no one else (except maybe Alaric) saw. Hell, they hadn’t even  _ kissed _ yet and Hope was running around getting protein shakes for the girl after her morning training. 

As she made her way down the hallway to Josie’s room, she began to pick up on a soft muttering outside the door.

“ _ Infidium calamactus, infidium calamactus.”  _ Hope heard Josie repeating the words over and over, her voice gaining volume each time. She furrowed her brow, racking her brain, trying to see if the spell rang any bells. 

“ _ INFIDIUM CALAMACTUS!”  _

Hope burst through the door to Josie’s room, to find the taller girl on the floor, kneeled in front of the Mora Miserium. Her breathing was strained, as she gazed at Hope with a terrified expression across her gentle features. 

“What the hell is going on?” Hope immediately dropped to her knees, rubbing her hand up and down Josie's back to try to steady her breathing. She had heard about the Sandclock from Lizzie, and knew the power it held, but sitting directly in front of it was a different story. It filled her with dread, watching the black smoke twist and swirl in the glass, threatening to break free. 

“I-I don’t know.” Josie stuttered, still trying to catch her breath. “I keep seeing things-the Sandclock breaking, the school on fire, me but-”

“You see yourself?”

“Yes, b-but...it’s not really me and it’s fucking terrifying.” Hope gave her a puzzled look. She knew Josie had been close with Vardemus (or Clarke for that matter), but now she was concerned with how close, and how deep they had dug their claws into Josie’s brain. 

“Shhh, it’s okay, Jo. I’m here.” Hope pulled Josie closer, letting her rest in the crook of her neck. She continued to rub circles on her back, until her breathing finally slowed. “Look, I know we can’t nullify the black magic inside, but we can put a protective barrier around the outside.”

Josie looked up at Hope with so much tenderness in her eyes that she could have just melted into a puddle right there. “Okay.” She whispered, settling herself back into Hope’s neck. “What are those?” Josie pointed toward her desk, where the two protein shakes were forgotten when Hope had busted in. 

“Oh. I got your favorite. Peanut butter, right?” 

“Who said Hope Mikaelson wasn’t a softie?” Josie teased. 

“Shh, don’t tell anyone!” 

…

Later that day, Hope and Josie were linking hands over the Sandclock, letting a white smoke flow from their hands, as the taller girl siphoned magic from Hope. She admired how beautiful the white was-the contrast between it and the dreadful black created a sort of warmness that filled the room. 

“Thank you for doing this.” Josie said softly. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I would do anything for you, Jo. You know that.” Hope put her hand over Josie’s, rubbing circles with her thumb. “But you should know, the Sandclock will break down over time. At least this gives us time to figure out how to diffuse it.” 

Josie nodded, eyes still focused on the dark object in front of her. “Why did Clarke choose me? Is it because I’m weak?”

“No, of course not.” Hope said quickly, feeling her heart sink. Josie had always been extremely powerful in her eyes, and it broke her that the taller girl just couldn’t see it.  _ Penelope had something right.  _ Hope thought back to the events of last year, before the twins knew about the Merge and how Josie’s ex had left because she just couldn’t stand watching Josie put everyone else before herself. But that’s where they differed-Hope would never leave Josie. “You’re a very trusting person, Jo. And way more powerful than you know.”

“I don’t want to be either of those things.” Josie’s eyes began to water. “The second he had me doing black magic, my head, i-it wasn’t mine anymore. I get upset more easily, I’m on edge. Jealous.”

_ Jealous.  _

The word was like a shot to Hope’s chest. If only she knew that she never had anything to be jealous about. That Landon had felt more like a friend to her even before jumping into the pit, and that when she came back, she hadn’t come back for him at all. 

“It’s not all the magic.” Hope interjected, squeezing Josie’s soft hand. “When I got out of Malivore, there was only one person I wanted to see and-”

“Landon?”

“No, Jo. Listen. As I was falling into the pit, there was only one person I thought of. Their face flashed in my head so brightly, that even being consumed by black sludge couldn’t rid that image from my head. I did it because I thought I was saving everyone from the monsters, but I couldn’t help but feel a little selfish. Because I knew jumping in the pit would make you forget me, and that broke my heart. The first person I wanted to see was you, Josie. I was walking around the grounds to school and I-I smelled you. Vanilla. I followed the scent to the Old Mill and that’s when I saw it.”

“M-me and Landon? I always thought you were mad at me for kissing him.”

“I was mad at him for even putting his hands on you, I-” Hope felt her anger flare up, remembering the way Landon wrapped his arms around Josie’s back, pulling her closer. She shook her head, swallowing it back down. “I was jealous of him, Josie. For being able to do what I had wanted to do for so long and if anyone had crossed my path in that moment, who knows what the hell I would have done.”

“Hope, I had no idea.” Josie scooched forward, resting her hands gently on Hope’s exposed knees. The smaller girl felt her breath hitch in her throat from even the slightest touch. 

“You didn't know who I was, remember?”

“How did you move past it?”

“I tried to move on, I distracted myself, but as you know, I didn’t do the best job.” Josie chuckled, remembering Hope’s constant presence as the mysterious supernatural stranger who was “trying” to get with her boyfriend. “I couldn’t stay away. And I know I got a bunch of things wrong, but...that doesn’t mean we can’t try again, right?”

“As friends?” Josie asked, her voice laced with something that Hope couldn’t quite place.

“Always friends first, but...maybe something more?”

A small smile played on the corner of Josie’s lips as she opened her mouth to answer when her phone started to buzz loudly on her desk across the room. “It’s Lizzie. I’ve got to-”

“No, yeah! That’s okay! I get it!” Hope said a little too enthusiastically, as Josie gathered her stuff, throwing a sympathetic glance in Hope’s direction before walking out the door.

_ Always ruining the moment, Lizzie. Way to go.  _

…

Hope spent the rest of the night in the library, tirelessly searching for anything relating to the Mora Miserium and how to quell the black magic inside of it. She told herself she would spend all night there if she had to, but when Dorian found her passed out on a book just before midnight, she knew it was time to head back.

The only place she had deemed her safe haven, the one place where she would be left alone to her lone wolf tendencies, had been taken over by Alyssa Chang. Hope was making a conscious effort to be more outgoing, more friendly to her classmates, but Alyssa made it impossible. Not long ago, Hope thought she was the biggest bitch to walk the halls of the Salvatore School, but her new roommate gave her a run for her money. Every word that came out of her mouth was laced with sarcasm, and Hope was dreading having to spend the rest of the school year in her presence. 

She begrudgingly made her way to her room, hoping Alyssa was asleep so that she wouldn’t have to hear any bitchy commentary from the witch, when she got a whiff of vanilla coming from inside her room. 

_ Could it be… _

She opened her door to be greeted by the most lovely sight- Josie Saltzman, sitting on the end of her bed, waiting for her-

And holy fuck, her room. 

It finally looked like her own space again, despite Alyssa’s stuff on the opposite side. She had her old comforter back, her own pillows. Hope’s desk was adorned with a brand new set of paints and brushes, along with brand new school supplies. Christmas lights were placed all along the walls, giving the room a colorful glow. They hung over a large bulletin board, filled with pictures of the twins, Alaric, MG, Kaleb, and Hope’s favorite, an old picture of her and Josie from last year. The finishing touch was the wooden sign with her name in bright blue, hanging on the wall above her bed. 

“Do you like it? Is it too much?” Josie asked, sitting up from Hope’s bed, straightening her skirt. 

“Josie, I-” For once in her life, Hope was speechless. She felt the tears building in the corner of her eyes and wiped them away quickly, not wanting to break down in front of the girl she adored. “I love it.”

“Okay good, cause it’s not exactly the way it was, but I thought you would like it if I changed it up a little-”

Hope surged forward, wrapping her arms around Josie’s waist and pulling her closely to her own chest, smirking at the tiny squeak the siphoner let out when their bodies collided. She pressed her lips against Josie’s, marveling in how fucking soft they were. The taller girl immediately hummed into the kiss, lacing her fingers on the back of Hope’s neck. They stood there for what felt like hours, letting their hands feverishly run over each other's bodies, their lips meeting over and over again, like they had perfected this years ago. 

Josie pulled away first to catch her breath, resting her forehead on Hope’s, letting their breaths mingle together. 

“I guess you liked the room then?” Josie teased, squeezing Hope’s waist, and letting her fingers drift underneath the fabric of the tribrid’s sweater. 

“It’s perfect, Jo.”

Hope was mesmerized by the way the Christmas lights twinkled in Josie’s dark brown eyes, and before she knew it, she couldn’t help but slip out a yawn. 

“Oh shit, I’m sorry, it’s so late.” Josie said quickly, backing away from Hope as if they hadn’t spent the last thirty minutes or so kissing. “I should let you get some rest.”

“No, stay.” Hope pleaded. “You did all this work, you might as well enjoy some of the fruits of your labor.” She motioned towards the bed and was met with Josie raising her eyebrow. “Oh no! Not like that! I-I meant to like...actually sleep.” Hope could feel a blush creeping up her pale cheeks.  _ Of course, now she probably thinks I’m some slut that only wants to sleep with her. I’m such a fucking idiot-” _

“I would love to.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so this is more of a filler chapter (but it's important) because hope sees dark josie for the first time and well...you'll see. 
> 
> dark josie will make her appearance more in the next few chapters, i just did this one to set up the events to follow!

Hope could feel the sun against her sensitive lids before she even opened her eyes. She was too damn comfortable and didn’t want to be blinded by the rays this early in the morning, so she opted to scooch herself even further into Josie, who was serving as the world’s greatest big spoon. Hope never had liked to be touched in her sleep before, let alone cuddle all night. When Landon would try, she would sleepily push him away, and curl into a ball in the opposite side of the bed. Who knew Josie could make her feel so damn soft?

When she moved her butt into Josie’s waist, she heard the taller girl hum in her sleep, adjusting herself so that her lips were pressed gently into the sensitive spot under Hope’s ear. The tribrid shuddered, feeling goosebumps form on her neck from the lingering feeling of Josie’s lips. 

Last night was everything she had hoped for. She had finally gotten to kiss the girl she had been crushing on for years, and better yet, they fell asleep in the same bed again (this time without Lizzie hogging up precious space or bursting through the door to ruin their moment). 

She carefully reached for her phone, not wanting to wake Josie, and realized she was two hours late for training with Alaric.  _ Oh well, I deserve to skip a day.  _ She typed out a quick excuse, and settled back into the taller girl, who was finally starting to stir. 

“Finally awake, sleepyhead?” Hope teased, flipping over to face Josie. 

“Mmm, sorta.” She grumbled back in the most adorable way possible. Hope was thankful in that moment that Josie didn’t have her super senses, otherwise she would have heard Hope’s heart skip a beat over the most trivial of actions. Josie’s eyes peaked open, only to smile sleepily at Hope and bury herself in the tribrid’s chest. “You’re so  _ warm.” _

“Well, I am a wolf, you know. Speaking of wolfish tendencies, I’m fucking starving.”

“What does that have to do with being a wolf?”

“We just have big appetites. From all that turning and running around, I guess?” Hope really had no clue why being constantly hungry and being a werewolf went hand in hand, but the wolves were always filling their plates to the brim during school meals, and coming back for seconds more often than not. 

“You wouldn’t know from how good you look.” Josie blushed while poking Hope’s toned stomach, letting her fingers linger on the skin. 

“Oh, is the innocent Miss Saltzman calling me hot?”

“I’m not that innocent, you know.” Josie said frankly, looking at Hope with darkened eyes. Now it was Hope’s turn to blush. “C’mon, let’s get you some food.” Josie gave her a quick peck on the lips before swinging her legs off the bed. Hope immediately missed the closeness, but begrudgingly followed Josie to the dining hall anyways. 

…

Of course, Hope couldn’t have one normal day in the Salvatore School, and the bliss that came from waking up in Josie’s arms quickly gave way to persistent, nagging insecurities. 

_ She’s too good for you. Too innocent. You don’t deserve her.  _

_ She’s shy...impressionable. If you don’t corrupt her, the black magic will.  _

_ It’s going to get to her. It’s going to consume her. You won’t be able to save her.  _

After an especially explosive group meeting with all the witches and some carefully done research from Wade, Hope put two and two together and realized her brain wasn’t betraying her like it did so often, but rather, another fucking monster had come to the school in search of the sandclock. 

“We’re dealing with a Qareen-an Arabian monster that whispers insecurities and feeds off discord. That’s why that little group circle was so...hostile.” Wade said, fingers skimming over the text of a book filled with information on this new threat.

“Yeah? And how would you know that, weakling?” Hope snapped, unable to control the words coming out of her mouth. “Shit, sorry. Why can’t we see it?”

“It’s invisible at the moment. It feeds off the strife and becomes stronger and stronger-then it will manifest.”

“Well...does that book give us any hints on how to stop it?” Lizzie asked, appearing in the library. She had also been affected by the Qareen, but it was almost impossible to tell, given her extremely rude nature to begin with. 

“It says here fairies are one of its weaknesses. Thankfully, I’m here to help!”

“So we have to put all our trust in you? The so-called fairy? Hell, we don’t even have proof that you are one.” Lizzie crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking Wade up and down doubtfully. 

“You’ll just have to believe in me…” Wade trailed off, unable to make eye contact with the two powerful witches in front of him. 

“Also, Hope, have you seen Josie? She wasn’t at that meeting…”

Before Lizzie could finish her sentence, Hope was out the door, consumed by a gnawing fear that something had happened to the siphoner. She (embarrassingly) sniffed the air, searching for that all too familiar scent of vanilla, and traced it to Alaric’s office, where she found Josie passed out on the floor. 

“Josie! Wake up, Jo!” Hope knelt down, cradling the brunette’s head in her lap. “Josie, can you hear me?” The taller girl finally groaned, touching the back of her head and wincing in pain. “Shit, Jo, what happened?”

“T-the monster. It took the sandclock.”

“Why?” 

“I don’t know, but we have to get it back. If it breaks, I-” Josie stuttered over her words, unable to continue as her eyes filled up with tears. “I saw her again, Hope. It was me, but all dark. I don’t know what’s happening to me…”

“Stop being so weak, Jo. It’s going to consume you.” Josie jolted up from the floor, pain evident in her eyes. 

_ Fuck, did I really say that out loud? _

“Josie...I didn’t mean it, I-”

“You did mean it. The monster feeds off your insecurities-to say what you already think. You think I’m weak.”

“No, not like that, Jo. I just don’t want the black magic to get to you-”

“Fuck you, Hope. Not everyone can be a shut-off hero like you.” Hope felt her stomach drop, not knowing whether the Qareen was helping Josie voice her opinions, or if she was really that angry. 

“Josie, please…”

“I’ve got to go.” Josie collected her things and gave Hope one more nasty glance before leaving the tribrid in her father’s office, too stunned to move. 

…

Shockingly enough, Wade did end up being a fairy, and turned the Qareen into a pile of dust. Even though Josie was avoiding her, Hope couldn’t help but stare at the siphoner from across the room. She quickly noticed the look of panic flash across Josie’s features as the Qareen was vaporized, sending the sand clock rapidly towards the floor. With some quick thinking and a spell, Hope stopped it from shattering, catching the dark item in her arms. 

Josie rushed up to her, grabbing the sand clock from Hope’s grasp, and buried her face in Hope’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry. I know you’re just worried about me.” Josie said softly, barely audible over the roar of the crowd, frenzied from Wade’s unexpected success. 

“I lo-really care about you, Jo.” Hope felt her cheeks grow hot from her slip-up. “I don’t think you’re weak, I promise. I just don’t want whatever that sand clock is holding to get inside you.”

“Well, as long as you’re here to protect me, I think I’ll be fine.” 

“And I always will be. I promise.”

…

Hope wishes she could have kept her promise. She never meant to leave Josie in a vulnerable position, but little did she know, Alyssa Chang had been plotting to get rid of the Saltzmans for years now. So there she stood, glaring at her roommate as she entered, realizing just what had happened when Josie and Lizzie had disappeared in a blinding white light. 

Hope didn’t waste a single second, and had Alyssa up against the wall with a single flick of her wrist. She held her there, arms outstretched, tightening her fingers around the witch’s neck.

“Where the  _ fuck  _ are the Saltzmans?!” 

Normally, Hope’s threats would be met with quick admissions as her victims would beg to be released. But Alyssa was cunning and wouldn’t give Hope a single drop of information unless it benefitted her in some way. 

But Hope wouldn’t let herself be outwitted. She was the HBIC at the Salvatore School and as much as Alyssa liked to flex, Hope quickly figured out her weaknesses.

Who knew it would be MG?

Apparently, her roommate had a crush on him for years, which gave her another reason to hate Lizzie. Through some careful planning and scheming with MG (and almost getting her heart eaten by Cupid’s evil brother, Pothos), Hope was able to get the real ascendant back from Alyssa, only to have it shatter on the floor in front of her. 

Alaric, Josie, and Lizzie-the three people she cared about most in this world (even though she would never admit to liking the blonde twin)-were stuck in a prison world, and once again, Hope was the only one that could come swooping in to save the day. 

She spent the next few days cooped up in Alaric’s office instead of the library-it was much quieter and she was safe from prying eyes. With some painstaking research that included tearing apart most of Alaric’s personal collection, Hope found out that she could astral project to the prison world, and hopefully get a sense of what she was dealing with. 

The tribrid ignored the persistent protests from Dorian and Emma on how dangerous it was, that she was naive and didn’t know what she was up against-especially when it came to the conniving Kai Parker. Hope almost told them to fuck off, that she had saved the school from countless monsters on multiple occasions, that she wasn’t just some stupid eighteen year old. But she kept her mouth shut and did what she set out to do in the first place-protect Josie and her family at all costs. 

Warm light enveloped her small frame and sure enough, Hope found herself in the prison world. An almost identical version of the Salvatore School’s common room appeared before her. 

And then Hope saw her. 

“Why hello.” 

Hope barely recognized the sultry voice as Josie’s and felt her jaw drop open when she got her first glance at this version of the siphoner. 

Dark veins ran through her pale face, accentuating her jet black eyes. She stared at Hope, and the tribrid almost could feel the darkness piercing through her. Even her hair was darker, contrasting with the bright blue sweater she wore the night she disappeared. Hope hated to admit it, but Josie looked  _ fucking fantastic  _ like this. She had always been attracted to the darkness, and this side of Josie woke something up inside of her, something she had tried to bury deep. Hope dug her nails into her palm, trying to contain her borderline animalistic urges to take Josie in her arms right there. 

_ You are just projecting. This isn’t Josie. Breathe.  _

She repeated this like a mantra over and over again in her head, as Josie looked her up and down, smirking when she realized her effect on the tribrid. 

“Only I can see you.” 

“W-what happened to you?” Hope stuttered over her words, her tongue feeling incredibly dry in her mouth. 

“I broke the sandclock.”

A million questions flashed through Hope’s mind-the main one being  _ why.  _

“Oh my god, Jo. I’m so sorry.”

“Josie, who are you talking to?” Alaric questioned. 

“Hope.”

“You have to warn her about Kai, he’s trying to get to the real world.”

“He’s already there.” Hope answered, knowing only Josie could hear her. 

“Tell her he’s incredibly dangerous. She needs to get him out of the school-as soon as possible.” Alaric warned. 

“You think you can do that,  _ baby? _ ” Josie stepped dangerously close to her projection now, and Hope wanted so badly to reach out and touch her. She swallowed the lump that was growing in her throat and, unable to speak, only nodded at Josie. “Good luck.” 

With those final words and a wave of her hand, Hope found herself back in her room, desire running through her veins straight to her core. Although exhaustion racked her brain, one thought plagued her increasingly fragile psyche. 

_ You know this isn’t going to end well. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think! comments and kudos fuel my soul. 
> 
> but for real though, I am very much new to writing for this fandom, but Hope and Josie's relationship really has a hold on me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JEALOUS HOPE! JEALOUS HOPE!

Hope tossed and turned violently that night, unable to shake the nightmares from taking their toll. She awoke suddenly at dawn, baring her teeth, as she felt an unexpected weight on her bed. 

“Shhhh...it’s just me.” 

She hadn’t been able to free her mind from that sultry voice all night. Hope shook her head, trying to wake herself from what she was sure was another dream.

“Josie?” When did you-how did you-” Hope stuttered, interrupted by Josie’s finger touching her lips, effectively shushing her. Heat immediately spread from her mouth down her whole body-it felt like Josie had fucking  _ burned  _ her. 

“Be quiet, Hope. You wouldn’t want Alyssa to wake up, right?” Hope shook her head, looking over at the sleeping figure in the bed besides hers. She must have really been knocked out-she didn’t even hear her roommate come home. 

“Josie, how the hell did you get out of there? I haven’t even dealt with Kai yet.”

“I have my ways.” The siphoner smirked at Hope, running her fingers up and down the tribrid’s arms, leaving goosebumps in her wake. Soft sunlight started to filter in through the curtains, and Hope finally got a good look at Josie. 

But it wasn’t the Josie she knew. 

It was the one Hope had encountered in the prison world. 

Dark Josie. The girl she simultaneously feared and desired so deeply. 

“Aww..Hope. Don’t be disappointed. I’m still  _ her.  _ Just...better.” Josie’s hands halted suddenly on Hope’s shoulders before slowly dragging down the tribrid’s chest. She gasped loudly, unable to stop her vision from flashing gold. 

“D-don’t. This isn’t you.” Hope growled, unable to recognize the huskiness in her own voice.

“Aw, don’t you want me,  _ baby _ ?” She shuddered at the nickname and reveled in Josie’s signature pout, as the siphoner’s hands made their way to Hope’s thighs-nails scratching over the sensitive skin. 

“I-I-not like...this.  _ Fuck, Josie.”  _ Hope was unable to control herself as the witch’s hands swiped dangerously close to where Hope wanted them the most. The whole room was enveloped in a golden hue, and Hope could feel her canines, sharp as knives in her mouth. She dug her hands into the blankets, grasping them until her knuckles turned white-anything to fight the urge to flip Josie on her back and fuck her senseless. 

_ It’s not her. It’s not her.  _ Hope repeated this over and over in her head, as Josie chuckled, taunting her as she ghosted her fingers over the tribrid’s delicate inner thighs. 

Josie leaned forward, ignoring the low growl coming from Hope’s throat. Anyone in their right mind would be terrified of the tribrid in her current state-threatening yellow eyes, long sharp teeth extending over soft lips-but this wasn’t the real Josie. And dark Josie was just as attracted to the danger as Hope was. “ _ Take me.” _ The siphoner whispered, biting down on the skin just under Hope’s ear.

She jolted awake in a cold sweat, fingers tracing over the stinging sensation on her neck. The sun was now high in the sky, and Hope immediately knew she had missed all her morning classes. But she could care less about school at that moment. She quickly got dressed, gathering her research on the prison world, before glancing at her bed, where no trace of Josie was left behind. She couldn’t help but shake the feeling that it hadn’t been a dream, that the siphoner and all the black magic that consumed her had been in Hope’s room somehow. 

_ It felt so real.  _

…

As night fell upon the Salvatore School, Hope found herself in the library, anxiously holding onto Alaric and Lizzie, waiting for the door from the prison world to open-and Josie to come out of it unharmed. She should have been tired from her lack of sleep the night before, but adrenaline coursed through her veins as a bright light appeared in front of her. Hope tightened her grip around Lizzie’s arm as the light dissipated, revealing Josie on her knees, her back to the group. 

“Hey, you made it.” Hope said softly, her voice cracking. 

Seconds felt like an eternity as she waited for the siphoner to turn around. 

“Josie?” Hope held her breath, waiting to be met with dark eyes and a seductive smirk. 

“It’s me, guys.” Hope let out a sigh of relief as she scanned Josie’s eyes for a drop of darkness and saw none. She surged forward, wrapping the siphoner in her arms, as Lizzie and Alaric quickly followed suit. 

“I missed you so much, Jo.” Hope whispered quietly enough so that no one else could hear and felt Josie’s hands pull her in tighter. “Don’t ever leave me like that again.”

“I won’t.”

…

With Josie back and the threat of black magic gone, Hope finally felt that it was safe enough to turn. The Saltzmans had caught her up on everything that went down in the prison world over dinner. Hope had sat as close as possible to Josie, intertwining their fingers under the table as they ate. She excused herself afterwards, promising to meet up with Josie in her room later. 

After the excruciating cracking and breaking of bones, Hope was free to roam the forest that surrounded the school. She felt at peace in these woods, paws crunching on the leaves as she ran. The world became a blur around her as she picked up the pace, pushing herself to her limits. The tribrid neared the school grounds, and began to pick up on the smell of vanilla as she trotted up the path to the old mill. 

_ What would Josie be doing here so late? _

She lurked behind a tree in her wolf form, her beige fur blending in with the foliage surrounding her. She immediately saw Josie, talking to a blonde she didn’t recognize. 

The Saltzmans had filled her in on the former students that had been stuck in the prison world for ten years-a witch, a vampire, a werewolf. Alaric was reluctant, given the nature of their banishment, but he let them return back to reality anyways, giving them a makeshift shelter in the mill until he was absolutely sure they could adjust back to a normal life. 

Or as normal of a life that the Salvatore School would provide for them. 

Hope sniffed the air around her. The smell of vanilla couldn’t mask the  _ stench _ that came with vampires. 

_ Jade. The ripper.  _

Hope almost sprung to action, fearing for Josie’s safety as she talked to the vampire. She heard the horror stories from Alaric, but the siphoner had reassured Hope that Jade’s humanity was back on-that she was safe to be around. 

“I’m happy to have the real you back, Joze.” Jade said shyly, looking Josie up and down. 

_ Joze??? _

Hope fucking hated the nickname, and the way the ripper said it with so much admiration for the girl in front of her. The way she looked at Josie infuriated Hope-those glances should only be reserved for her. A low growl escaped from the back of her throat-being in her wolf form made it nearly impossible for her to stop the urges. The tribrid so desperately wanted to tear Jade away from Josie. 

“Shit, did you hear something?” Jade immediately went into protective mode and stood in front of Josie, looking around the woods wildly. 

_ Fucking vampires and their super senses.  _

Hope quietly slinked away before she was caught spying, unable to suppress the anger that was rising like venom in the back of her throat.

…

She was relieved to find Josie alone in her room, settling in under the covers. After shaking herself from her wolf form, Hope felt much better, and a little less angry about Josie’s late night visit to a certain vampire. 

“I visited Jade tonight.” Josie confessed as Hope settled into her side. Hope was happy that the siphoner was being honest with her, but still couldn’t stop the jealousy swirling around in her head. 

“I don’t trust her.”

“Why?” Josie asked with an all-too-familiar sense of innocence. Hope absolutely adored that side of her and the naivety that comes with thinking everyone is innately “good at heart”, but it also worried her. She had learned the hard way that blindly trusting others-especially in this monster-ridden supernatural world they lived in-could have dire consequences. 

“Well for starters, she tried to make you into her own personal juicebox.”

“Her humanity was turned off, Hope. I turned it back on. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Why do you care so much?” The words came out more bitter than Hope had intended. 

“Sounds like someone is jealous.” Josie teased. 

“What? No, I’m not!” Hope huffed, as she pouted into Josie’s neck.

“It’s fine. Jealousy looks good on you, babe.” A sense of unease flooded over Hope at the familiar nickname-the one that had only been used by Josie’s dark side. But as she looked up at the siphoner and saw brown orbs gleaming in the dim light, she felt at peace. 

“Fine, I might be a little jealous, but I know I’m better than her anyways. After all, I did save the day,  _ again _ .”

“What? I was the one that created the door to get out of there!” Josie faked being offended so well, dramatically putting her hand over her heart.

“Well, I stopped Alyssa from breaking the connection! You all would have been dead if it wasn’t for me!”

“You can’t claim this one, Mikaelson. C’mon, someone else has gotta be the hero sometime.”

“How about we agree that we both were the heroes in this situation, hmmm? You can be my trusty sidekick.”

“I am NOT the Robin to your Batman, Hope.” She swatted Hope with a pillow and before they knew it, they were in an all out pillow fight, reveling in the fact that they could be carefree for a few minutes. 

After they were both out of breath, Josie wrapped her arms around Hope, spooning her. Hope felt herself drifting off to a peaceful sleep, the kind of peace that only came with being with Josie. 

“I like this. Us.” Josie broke the silence and nuzzled herself even farther into Hope’s neck. 

“I like us too, Jo. Would you maybe want to...I don’t know...like officially date?” Hope held herself to a high standard-she took pleasure in the fact that she was a badass tribrid that no one messed with. But just being around Josie for a couple minutes effectively turned her brain into a puddle of mush. 

The pause seemed excruciatingly long, but finally Hope felt the siphoner smile into her neck, lightly pecking the skin. 

“Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?” 

“Um...yes.”

“It’s all I’ve ever wanted.” 

Josie left one final kiss on Hope’s neck before both girls fell into a blissful sleep, smiles plastered across their faces. 

…

The feeling of euphoria is fleeting, especially at the Salvatore School. However, Hope was oblivious to this as she dreamed of the girl sleeping besides her. Little did she know, Josie had jolted awake, and her eyes were once again a dangerous shade of black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dark josie is gonna get hella frisky in the next few chapters :) :) :)
> 
> also...i'm thinking of starting a game of thrones AU with these two. would any of y'all be interested??
> 
> as always, i love your comments so please keep em coming!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a little update. next chapter is gonna be the big one so brace yourselves

  
  


_ I am the parts that she keeps buried inside...that resent you and her for making her weak.  _

Hope laid in her bed, anxiously eyeing her cell phone every five seconds to see if she had a text from Lizzie or Alaric. She repeated Josie (or dark Josie’s) words over and over again in her head, as if some sort of hidden clue would appear. She wished for a cartoon moment, where a lightbulb would materialize over her head, giving her some genius idea that would save Josie from her dark side. 

_ If only her dark side didn’t look so fucking good… _

_ FOCUS! _

But Josie had looked... _ inviting.  _ It might have all been a simulation, but it stuck with the tribrid. The way she let her eyes run all up and down Hope’s body, as if she was memorizing every curve was driving Hope absolutely insane. All of them had woken up except for Josie, and now her father and twin were formulating some kind of plan, and told Hope to wait in her room until she settled down. 

She had dared not show her...frustration to the group (but the way Lizzie looked at her with a smirk and an all knowing raise of her eyebrow suggested that she caught the way Hope was staring Josie down), but a certain  _ ripper _ had almost caused her to unleash her true potential. 

“I didn’t need some stupid stimulation to know I had the hots for Josie. I knew that the  _ second _ she walked into the prison world.” 

“What did you just say about my  _ girlfriend?” _ Hope was practically seething at this point, marching right up to Jade and sizing her up, even though the vampire had her beat by a couple inches. 

“Girlfriend??” Alaric looked at Hope all bug-eyed, almost choking on the water he was sipping on.

“Uh...shit. Didn’t realize you woke up.” Jade said nervously, looking anywhere but at Hope’s dangerous, golden eyes. “I didn’t know the two of you were…together. I saw her last-” She stopped herself suddenly. 

“Excuse me...you saw her when??”

“Nothing...last night but...it was a dream.” 

“Alright, well dream fucking on,  _ ripper _ , because that’s the only place you’ll get to ogle my girlfriend from now on.” Hope saw a flash of something sinister in Jade’s eyes before Alaric whisked her away, giving the tribrid his signature  _ knock it off _ glare. 

“We’ll talk later about you dating my daughter.” 

“What? You don’t APPROVE?” Hope lunged after her headmaster, ready to pounce on anyone that challenged her newfound relationship. 

“Hope…” Lizzie said under her breath, pushing the tribrid back with a stern hand. “Why don’t you...simmer down, and I will text you later when we figure out what to do with Jo.”

And that’s how Hope ended up in her room, pacing relentlessly until she finally retired to her bed, too restless to sleep. She considered going out to the woods to turn, but quickly vetoed that idea, when she remembered Jade was staying at the old mill. 

_ What I would do to give the fucking ripper a taste of her own medicine… _

Hope could feel the venom rising in the back of her throat and grasped onto her pillow, pretending it was Jade’s head. 

And then her phone buzzed on her nightstand. 

**_Lizzie: come to the dungeon. NOW._ **

Hope had never moved faster in her life. 

...

The tribrid collided with MG in the hallway outside the dungeon, quietly swearing under her breath as she hit the floor. 

“What are you doing down here?”

“Lizzie texted me to help. Apparently, Josie’s in trouble?” MG questioned, offering Hope a hand.

“Yeah, no shit.” Hope swatted his hand away, quickly getting herself up and brushing the dirt off her pants. “C’mon, let’s go.” She wondered if the whole fucking school was going to be in the dungeon, leering at Josie like she was some animal in a cage. Thankfully, only Alaric, Lizzie, and Rafael were in the room. 

“Hope, thank god.” Lizzie pulled her into a tight embrace, as she got her first glimpse of Josie, sleeping peacefully on the dungeon’s rickety bed. “She just started stirring a minute ago.”

Based on what she saw in the simulation, Hope knew why they had locked her girlfriend up-and as much as she hated it, it was the right thing to do. She knew it wasn’t Josie,  _ her _ Josie inside that cell. But that’s the thing-she wanted to know this other version, this darkness, and that scared her shitless. 

“Looks like the gang’s all here.” Hope whipped her head to the familiar soft voice, giving Josie a once over and seeing no inkling of dark magic. She breathed a sigh of relief, getting closer to the iron bars. 

“Why am I locked up exactly?” Josie directed the question at Hope, but it was Alaric that answered. She sounded so sad, so desperate when she asked, that Hope had to stop herself from breaking down the cell walls right there. 

“Well, you’ve been through a lot. How are you feeling?” Hope had seen Alaric stare down monsters, knowing very well that they could kill him, and never show a drop of weakness. But as he stood in front of his daughter, Hope could hear his voice falter. 

“Never better. I think the therapy was really good for me.” Confidence rang in her girlfriend’s voice. “Please let me out, Hope.” Josie pleaded, reaching her arms through the bars to connect with Hope’s. The tribrid opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it, unable to keep up with the thoughts racing through her mind. 

“You’re full of black magic.” Lizzie piped up. “I was too selfish to see it before, but I can feel it.” Josie quickly glared at her sister, before meeting her girlfriend’s eyes, silently asking to be released. Hope saw a flash of something sinister in the brown eyes she had come to love, and recoiled, pulling her hand away from Josie as if she had gotten burned. 

“This isn’t you, Jo.” Hope’s voice was so quiet and hoarse that she barely even recognized it as her own. Everything was spiraling so quickly in front of her. Normally she would be the one to stop it, to have everything under control, but this situation was way past the tribrid, and she could feel herself  _ trembling _ under Josie’s dark eyes as the siphoner chuckled-mocking everyone in the room. 

“It is now.” The sultry tone had returned to Josie’s voice as her eyes became pitch black. “So get used to it.” She snapped her fingers, transforming out of her blue Salvatore sweater into a darker one, her soft brown locks were now a deeper color and her plump lips were adorned with purple lipstick. Hope’s breath caught in her throat-Josie looked fucking amazing. All the desires she felt in the prison world came rushing back to her, as she gritted her teeth, trying not to look too affected by Josie’s transformation. 

But the siphoner seemed to notice as she smirked at her girlfriend, reaching through the bars once again to touch Hope-her fingers just barely grazing the fabric of the tribrid’s sweater. Her breath hitched again at the contact. Hope curled her hands into fists at her side, anything to stop herself from crashing her lips into Josie’s. She swallowed the lump in her throat, desperate to take control of the situation in front of the others. After all, she was supposed to be the hero. 

“Babe, it’s okay. I’m just going to put you back to sleep until we can figure out what’s going on, okay?” She could feel her voice faltering as Josie grabbed onto her sweater, pulling her flush against the bars. They were close enough now where Hope could feel Josie’s warm breath on her lips. Her eyes fluttered closed, unable to stop herself from inhaling all things  _ Josie.  _

“Oh, are you? I thought you wanted to sleep  _ with  _ me, not put me to sleep.”

One second, Hope could feel herself getting dizzy. The very next, the world was swimming in front of her. The last thing she saw before it all faded to black was the siphoner, smirking as she hit the floor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you all liked this little update. please let me know what you thought in the comments, they make my day !


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> welp, i haven't updated this in months, figured it was about time ;)

“Where the FUCK is she?” Hope was pacing Alaric’s office so frantically that her shoes wore out the carpet beneath her. She wasn’t as put together as she normally was-wearing a worn out Salvatore School hoodie and ripped sweatpants that hung loosely from her hips. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair (probably a little too aggressively) and growled loudly when she looked down and saw strands of her auburn locks on her palm. “I’m so stressed, my hair is LITERALLY falling out.”

“I’m guessing your little hunt didn’t go so well?” Alaric looked as if he had aged ten years overnight. Between dealing with a missing daughter and a school that  _ almost _ had been burnt to a crisp the previous night, he was absolutely distraught. 

And maybe a little drunk. 

The second Hope had woken up from her Dark Josie induced slumber, she bolted to the woods, immediately transitioning into her wolf form. The tribrid knew Josie’s smell, but it seemed as if the siphoner was using that fact against her. Everytime she thought she was getting closer to the brunette, she was only met with an article of clothing. In her human form, she would have been blushing, knowing that Josie was teasing her (and potentially running through the woods mostly naked), but in her wolf form, it only made her angrier. She tore apart the woods surrounding the school till the early morning when Alaric came looking for her. 

“No. She’s  _ playing  _ with me.” 

“This isn’t Josie, Hope. Don’t worry, we’ll find her.” He placed a careful hand on the tribrid’s shoulder, which she violently shook off. “And please, get dressed. The other student’s admire you, you know?”

“ _ I never asked for that _ .” Hope snapped through gritted teeth, trying to talk herself out of attacking her headmaster. 

“Well, they do. You have saved the entire school on multiple occasions, and I even hear some of the little ones calling you their hero.”

_ Hero.  _

Hope had come to hate that word. Sure, she had come swooping in to protect the students on multiple occasions, but she had never had that certain  _ heroic bravado _ . Not to mention, her parents died saving her life, so she wasn’t exactly a fan of heroic sacrifices either. 

Still, she begrudgingly took Dr. Saltzman’s advice and changed into her Salvatore sweater and plaid skirt before heading down to the main hall. After all, if Josie did come back, Hope didn’t want her girlfriend to see her in her current state. 

She snuck in past rows of gossiping students, sending pointed looks in their direction whenever she heard Josie’s name. 

_ “I heard she completely lost her mind. Dabbling with dark magic? How stupid does she have to be…” _

_ “She blew up half the school and laughed about it.” _

_ “She even went up against the tribrid, is she crazy?” _

“Shut the fuck up before I-” Hope was interrupted as someone ran into her with such intensity she almost lost her balance. 

“Oh fuck, I’m sorry.”

_ Jade. _

“Watch where you’re going,  _ ripper.”  _ Hope’s vision became golden and she tasted bitter venom on her tongue, wanting nothing more than to just bite the vampire and be done with her. 

“I’m sorry...I’m just-have you heard anything about Joze?”

“No. I’m at this stupid meeting, aren’t I?” Hope seethed, digging her nails into her palm. “And stop fucking calling her that.”

“Whatever.”

Before Hope could get another word in, Dr. Saltzman approached the podium. “I know you are all worried. Believe me, no one is more worried than I am. My daughter Josie is still missing…” The tribrid began to nod off, her night of searching aimlessly for her girlfriend wearing on her. Maybe she could just close her eyes for a second…

The doors flew open with a loud bang, causing Hope to jolt up. And in came Josie. 

Hope could face down all the monsters Malivore spat out and not take a second to catch her breath. But the second she was in the presence of the dark version of Josie, she could practically feel her lungs collapsing in her chest. A surge of emotions came flooding to her all at once; the main ones being relief, thanking god or whatever the fuck she believed in that Josie was safe. 

And the other one? It settled deep in her stomach, causing flames to erupt deep in her core, her entire body flushing from the feeling. 

_ Desire.  _

Josie looked...incredible. Hope tried to avert her gaze, but her jaw slackened and if she didn’t get it together soon, she honestly might start drooling. The way her black lace dress hugged her curves just right had the tribrid sweating, as Lizzie looked over to her with concern. 

_ Keep it together, Mikaelson.  _

“I’m right here, Dad.” Josie smirked, before effortlessly floating down the stairs, staring Hope down. “So, what did I miss?”

Hope pushed past the students, unable to contain herself anymore. Her vision was golden and she was about two seconds away from whisking Josie away to some random closet and taking her right there. 

In other words, Hope Mikaelson was  _ so fucking screwed _ . 

…

Exhaustion was Hope’s best friend. Every waking moment of her life was filled with such deep angst that she could feel the fatigue deep in her bones. The nights weren’t much better as she was plagued with nightmares-about her father and mother dying, those moments replaying over and over again in her subconscious. And then her brain would betray her and she would dream about losing everyone she had ever cared about-Josie, Lizzie, even Alaric-and she would wake up screaming, a cold sweat soaking through her pajamas. 

Therefore, sleep was hard to come by for the tribrid, even if she had been awake for hours on end. She laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling, ignoring the buzzing of her phone on her nightstand. Hope was sure Lizzie or Alaric were texting her about Josie, wondering if she had any idea of how to deal with the situation. 

Spoiler alert: she didn’t. 

Hope was just about to turn her phone off when Lizzie came bursting through her door without warning. 

“God damn it, Mikaelson, I’ve been calling you.”

“Hmm, didn’t notice.” She replied sarcastically, refusing to avert her eyes from the ceiling. 

“Well, it’s a FUCKING emergency. Lord Josiemort is planning on us MERGING tonight!” 

“Wait, what?!” Hope shot up, looking at Lizzie incredulously. “You guys aren’t twenty-two.” 

“That’s what I said! But apparently, that’s just a guideline.” Lizzie huffed, sitting down on the edge of Hope’s bed. “She’s lost it, Hope. She said that if I don’t show up tonight by eight, she’s going to do something drastic, and considering she almost burned down the school last night, I do not want to find out what she means by that.”

“Don’t worry, we will get through to her. Where is she right now?” 

“The gym. Go to her, Hope. Once again, I think you’re our only shot.”

…

The gym was abuzz with Josie’s minions, prepping everything for the twins' birthday party turned Merge. Everything was adorned with black and silver, and the siphoner even went all out with a ‘Happy Merge Day’ sign that shone brightly whenever the hazy sun hit it just right. Hope scanned the gym for any sight of her girlfriend, before settling into the bleachers, wondering how the hell she was going to stop this from happening. 

The Merge had a constant presence in the twins’ lives, even if they were oblivious to it. And then the infamous Penelope Park brought it to Josie’s attention before whisking away to Belgium, leaving her ex with a metaphorical bomb in her lap. Before the sandclock, before Dark Josie, it probably would have been a fair fight, but now, with black magic running rampant through Josie’s veins, it seemed as if Lizzie didn’t stand a chance. 

And that terrified Hope. As much as the blonde annoyed the shit out of her, she was the first one to remember her when she came back from the Malivore pit-before Alaric, Landon, and even Josie. They had survived that stupid video game simulation together, so Hope had to make sure both twins made it out of this alive, no matter how high the stakes were. 

“Whatcha thinking about,  _ baby _ ?” 

Hope should have heard her coming, with her supernatural hearing and all, but getting lost in her thoughts often caused her to lose all of her special abilities. 

“C’mon, Hope. All this silent brooding is so unnecessary. If you have something to ask me, go ahead. I don’t bite.” Josie leaned forward, brushing her lips ever so lightly over Hope’s ear, causing the tribrid’s eyes to droop as she shuddered. “Unless you want me to.”

Hope whirled around, snatching up Josie’s hand and whisking her away to an empty classroom. Josie smirked at her minions, and Hope knew how bad this looked, but really she just wanted to talk to her girlfriend in private. As soon as they reached an empty room, Hope shut the door with a flick of her wrist, muttering a silencing spell under her breath. 

“Where the hell is Josie?”

“I’m right here, silly.” The siphoner said seductively, leaning back on a desk and parting her legs-a silent invitation for Hope to just take her. 

“I meant the real Josie. My Josie.” Hope swallowed the lump forming in her throat, willing her voice to not come out as a high-pitched squeak. Not many things made the all powerful tribrid nervous, but her girlfriend’s dark side? Hope was practically trembling. 

“So you mean Weak Josie? She’s gone. I thought I made that very clear.” 

“She’s not weak. Not even close.” Hope stepped closer to Josie now, feeling her confidence rising. “Deep down, you know we can bring the good inside of you out.”

“But babe-” Josie reached out, grabbing Hope’s hand, pulling them flush against one another. Hope’s breath hitched, causing Josie to send a smug look in her direction. “There’s only one thing I want inside of me.” She began to play with the tribrid’s fingers, placing one in her mouth and sucking, only to release it with a loud pop when Hope’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. “I know you want to fuck me. You know it would be better than with Weak Josie.”

Hope growled, the venom in the back of her throat rising like bile. She knew her eyes were dangerously golden but she couldn’t bring herself to care. “Stop it.” 

“You didn’t like the trail I left for you last night?” Josie pouted. “I wish you would have found me. I was so cold all by myself...naked.”

“Seriously, Jo. I-”

“Stop fighting it, Hope.” Josie put a finger under the tribrid’s chin, golden eyes mixing with her own jet black. “You don’t have to suppress it for me. I want _all of you_.” 

Hope whined, the most desperate noise she had ever made in life, as Josie’s hands moved to the back of her neck, stroking the wisps of hair with her nails. Her senses were on fire and she felt herself losing control-slipping into the trap Josie had set for her. Hope could so easily let her hands grasp Josie’s sides, push her against the desk and just have her way with her-

No. She had to keep her composure. She had to get Josie back- _ her Josie.  _

“I-I can’t.” Hope tried to push the siphoner away, but Josie was quicker, backing her up against a wall, causing it to shake behind her. 

“We’ll see how long you can resist, baby.” She whispered, letting her tongue drag up Hope’s neck to her ear, before lightly nibbling on the skin. Hope grasped the wall, forcing herself to stay put, to not make any sudden movements, for fear that her hands had a mind of their own. 

“Josie! Something’s wrong. I saw Lizzie and MG talking and-” One of Josie’s minions burst through the door. “Oh shit, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. We were done anyways.” Josie sashayed away, sending Hope a seductive smirk before exiting the room. 

As soon as she left, Hope felt like she could breathe again, and collapsed into a ball on the floor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO!!!!
> 
> i let this fic get away from me, and honestly, lost interest. but writer's block is a bitch, and i needed a break from my game of thrones au, so here's this! 
> 
> also, i may have missed dark josie just a littttttle bit lol. 
> 
> please let me know what you think...your comments and kudos are always appreciated.


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